Overview
- The Ministry of Justice announced on July 29 that it had dismissed Masahito Nishida, a 48‑year‑old prosecutor in the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office special investigation division.
- Defense lawyers who filed a request on July 9 with the Tokyo High Court have asked that Nishida and the woman at the center be called as witnesses and held a press conference on July 31 demanding a third‑party review and disclosure of the ministry’s probe.
- Prosecutors and ministry investigators learned of the relationship in March and conducted a confidential inquiry that examined LINE message records and interviewed Nishida, the woman and colleagues to establish the facts.
- Defense teams argue the woman’s statements and evidence were the basis for charges in the related case and say the relationship undermines those materials, a claim that could prompt retrials or overturned verdicts if courts find the investigation was compromised.
- The special investigation division is an elite unit that handles high‑profile political and corporate cases, and Nishida — long seen as a rising leader who led a political fundraising probe — held senior roles that give his dismissal outsized implications for public trust and prosecutorial oversight.